At the Nov. 7 meeting, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously passed a resolution affirming its stance on mask mandates.
“The phone calls I’ve gotten over the last couple of weeks and just running into people around town have made it clear this is very important,” Councilmember Chris Bausch—who proposed the resolution for the Nov. 7 meeting agenda—said at the meeting.
According to the resolution, all businesses within the city are now considered essential businesses—meaning they can operate in the case of a call to quarantine due to rising COVID-19 case numbers. In addition, the resolution also formally declares that wearing a mask within the city would be a matter of personal preference.
“They are afraid that their business licenses will be revoked [if they don’t comply with a future mandate],” Bausch said. “I hope this statement will give them reassurance that we will do all we can to ensure that all businesses are essential businesses.”
The two-pronged resolution was lauded by public commenters who echoed Bausch’s sentiment on the impact of the initial COVID-19 pandemic masking mandate and subsequent shutdown in 2020.
“This is not something businesses in Paso Robles need to be afraid of,” one public commenter and Paso Robles business owner said. “They need to know that their City Council stands behind them and that they will do the best of their ability to keep their businesses open.”
Mayor John Hamon told the council and public that he felt it was the right time for the city to make its stance clear, citing his personal experience with the initial 2020 mandates and shutdowns.
“I remember the first thing I did is I called [1st District Supervisor John Peschong] and told him that my business was essential and we would be out there whether or not we were allowed to do it,” Hamon recalled.
While he didn’t say what prompted his concerns, the resolution comes after the SLO County Department of Public Health’s Sept. 21 mandate that health care workers in the county either get influenza and COVID-19 vaccines or wear a mask.
“I remember [at the beginning of the pandemic] what I told restaurant owners, and that was, ‘If you fail, we fail, so do what you got to do to stay alive in this situation,'” Hamon said. “Now that it’s coming around again, I am concerned that they will try it again, so with this statement, we can make it clear how Paso Robles is going to move forward with this problem.” Δ
This article appears in Nov 9-19, 2023.
I spoke at the meeting and I pointed out that the Public Health Department’s Covid response was driven by political and ideological factors and not by science. I wish you would have reported that. This is not just about masks but the disastrous way the whole Pandemic was handled by people we trust to make the best, most scientific and altruistic policies. Common sense advice about exercise, eating healthy, fresh air and getting sunshine was just not mentioned. Effective treatments like hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin were discouraged for political reasons. I mentioned how my family members chose to ignore Dr. Fauci and rely on natural immunity. We went out of our to not quarantine or isolate and we did fine. I also pointed out we are losing health care workers due to the stance of the Public Health but frankly the majority on the Board of Supervisors and Dr. Penny Borenstein just don’t care. This is not just about masks but the reckless disregard that some people have for the safety, well being and freedom of our citizens. Also this article is worth reading https://www.ndlegis.gov/assembly/67-2021/t… regarding whether masks really work.
Clinical studies have proven that neither hydroxychloroquine nor ivermectin are effective in treating COVID-19. Quit spreading misinformation.